Awarded a $250,000 grant by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for their 2018 Innovation Grant application titled “Molecular Landscape for Targeted Therapy in Retinoblastoma.” Learn more.
Uncovered evidence that genomic aberrations in uveal melanoma that lead to metastasis may occur far earlier in tumor evolution than previously believed. Learn more.
Awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study predictive testing of ocular (or uveal) melanoma.
Discovered that the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat, clinically approved by the FDA to treat a rare form of lymphoma, may be repurposed to also treat uveal melanoma. In the laboratory, vorinostat was able to transform aggressive uveal melanoma cells into more normal-appearing cells. Learn more.
Discovered that mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BAP1 are responsible for metastatic death in uveal melanoma.
Discovered that histone deacetylase inhibitors reverse the biochemical effects of BAP1 mutation and may have a role in targeted therapy of uveal melanoma metastasis.
Discovered a gene expression signature that predicts metastasis in uveal melanoma. This discovery has led to a routine clinical test that is used around the world.
Discovered that the retinoblastoma protein is regulated by a hierarchical series of intramolecular conformational changes catalyzed by discrete phosphorylation events.
Discovered that mutations in the retinoblastoma gene occur in most small cell lung cancers.